Ball valve lifting apparatus



Jan. 14, 1964 H. B. coRsAw BALL VALVE LIFTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1962 'l va,

` INVENTOR. HARRY B. coRSAw 4/ /'TONEY United States Patent O 3,117,323 BALL VALVE Mitt-TENS- APPARATUS Harry B. Corsaw, M59 El 'Camino Way, Palo Alto, Cif. Filed Ilan. Z2, "i962, Ser. No. 167,847 l Qlairns. (Cl. 4-57) The present invention relates in general to ball valves and, more particularly, to a novel ball Valve lifting apparatus which is especially useful in toilet ush tanks for assuring proper lifting and seating of the flush valve thereby eliminating undesired water waste and attendant annoying water noises.

Heretofore the conventional ball valve lifting and guiding apparatus has employed a fixed guide sleeve intermediate the length of the Valve stem and having the valve stem vertically slideable therethrough. The old valve stem typically included a wire loop at the upward end thereof, the upper loop being adapted to engage a lifting eye slideable on the valve stem intermediate the xed guide sleeve and the valve stem loop. The lifting eye typically had a relatively long shank and was hooked into a suitable aperture in the flush lever arm. The vertically directed mechanical linkage formed by the stem and long shanked lifting eye had a tendency to be disjointed.

The problem encountered with such disjointed prior art ball valve lifting and guiding apparatus has been that, as the guide sleeve has worn due to the sliding of the bail valve stem therethrough, it has allowed the Valve stern to cant at a substantial angle to the vvertical. The canted valve stem has tended to hang up producing a frictional lock between the canted stem, lifting eye and guide sleeve thereby preventing the ball valve from receding with the receding water in the iiush tank and preventing the ball valve from forming a seat in the water outlet valve seat.

When the ball valve is prevented from making a proper seat, water continues to run into the liush tank thence into the toilet and from there down the drain to produce undesired water waste and attendant annoying running water noises. This malfunction of the ball valve can usually be corrected by jigging the flush lever thereby causing a break of the frictional lock between the valve stem, guide sleeve and lifting eye whereby the ball valve may fall to a proper seating relationship in the output valve seat and the toilet is again restored to its proper operating state.

The present invention eliminates any tendency for the ball valve stern to be frictionally locked in an inoperative position because of the improved nature of the lifting eye which has a greatly reduced shank length whereby it is prevented from being captured between the canted vertically directed valve stem and the guide sleeve. The lifting eye is further characterized by an increased amount of lateral freedom to prevent binding between the lifting eye and the valve stem.

In addition, heretofore the valve stern, with the loop at the upper extremity thereof, was of necessity a certain predetermined xed length. Also, the long shanked valve lifting eye, carried from the flush lever, was again of a certain predetermined fixed length. With such apparatus, it was difficult for such lifting eye and ball valve stem to be used in flush tanks of differing heights.

in the present invention, the valve stem is readily accommodated in liush tanks of varying heights by the provision of an axially adjustable collar, serving to catch the lifting eye, whereby via proper adjustment of the height of the collar on the valve stem iiush tanks of greatly diering heights are readily accommodated.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved, inexpensive ball valve lifting apparatus useful in toilet flush tanks for assuring proper lifting ece and seating of the flush valve thereby eliminating undesired water waste and attendant annoying water noises.

One feature of the present invention is the provision of an axially `adjustable collar carried upon the ball valve stem for catching the lifting eye, whereby via adjustment of the collar to the correct position with respect to the lifting eye, one standard size valve stem with such adjustable collar may be utilized in Hush tanks of greatly differing heights.

Another feature of the present invention is the same as the preceding feature wherein said axially adjustable collar comprises a relatively thick walled elastic ring which frictionally grips the valve stem passable therethrough and which ring is readily adjustable axially of the valve stem by overpowering the frictional force produced between the collar and the valve stem.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a valve stern lifting eye formed of a pliable cord loop carried from the flush lever whereby an extremely inexpensive, easy to install, lifting eye is obtained, which, in addition, possesses a great deal of lateral flexibility and greatly facilitates proper vertical alignment between the lifting eye and the valve stem.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become Iapparent upon a perusal of the specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein,

FIG. l is a side elevational View partly in cross section and partly in phantom depicting a toilet ball valve assembly utilizing features of the present invention, and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 1 taken along lines 2 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to FlGS. 1 and 2 there is shown the inner workings of a toilet ush tank 1. A discharge pipe 2 is sealed at the bottom of the flush tank ll via a suitable rubber gasket 3 and the discharge pipe 2 is provided with a flared entrance at the upper end forming a frusta-conical valve seat 4. The discharge pipe 2 is selectively sealed off at its upper end via the intermediary of a conventional buoyant hollow ball Valve 5 as of, for example, rubber seated in the valve seat 4.

A valve stem 6 yas of, for example, 3/{32 inch diameter brass wire extends axially through the ball valve 5' and at the point of passing through the ball is sealed thereto as by, for example, vulcanizing or by the rubber ball being threaded over Ia raised thread itl on the valve stern 6.

The lower extremity of the valve stern 6 depends from the ball valve 5 into the water discharge pipe Z. A solid ball 7 having an axial bore therethrough is slideably inserted onto the lower extremity of the valve stem 6 and is captured thereon as by crimping of the lower end of the valve stem y6. The ball 7 and depending lower extremity of the valve stem 6 cooperate to provide a lower ball valve guide apparatus which serves to guide the ball valve S into the valve seat d and also serves to retain the ball valve 5 in axial alignment above the discharge pipe when the ball valve 5 is in the raised or open position.

The upper portion of the valve stem 6 is slideably inserted through a guide sleeve 8 which, in turn, is carried from the overflow pipe 9 via the intermediary of a support arm structure lll. The upper extremity of the valve stem 6 is threaded through a lifting eye 12 as of, for example, a strong slippery acid resistant cord material such as Daeron.

The lifting eye 12, in a preferred embodiment, is formed from a tied loop, the tie knot being made larger than openings 13 in a Hush lever 14 such that by pushing the loop 12 through the openings 13 the knot will prevent the loop 12 from pulling through the ush lever 14.

A collar f5 is carried on the valve stern 6 above the lifting eye 12 and is axially adjustable of the valve stem 6 such that it may be positioned in the proper spaced relationship from the lifting eye 12 for flush tank installations of differing height. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adjustable collar 1'5 is formed of a relatively heavy elastic ring which frictionally grips the valve stem portion passable therethrough to provide a tight frictional force therebetween. The collar 15 is axially adjustable of the valve stem 6 by exerting sufficient axial pressure on the collar 15 to slide its fixed position along the valve stem 6.

A sound dead-ening bumper 16 is preferably carried at the upper extremity of the valve stem e to eliminate metallic noises which would otherwise, for some installations, be associated with metallic Contact between the valve stem d and the ilush tank lid, not shown.

in operation, pressing the hush handle 17 causes the flush lever 14 to pivot upwardly thereby causing the lifting eye 12 to slide upwardly along the valve stem 6 until the loop catches the adjustable collar 15 and carries the valve stem 6 and ball valve 5 upward-ly from the valve seat 4. Once the pressure seal, formed by the water pressure pushing the ball valve 5 into the seat d, is broken, the buoyant ball valve 5 tends to rise, in the vertical direction, toward the water surface level in the flush tank 1. Upward movement of the ball valve 5 is arrested upon contact between the ball valve 5 and the lower end of the guide sleeve S. Alternatively, in some installations wherein the height of the flush tank 1 is low, lupper movement of the ball valve 5 is arrested by contact between the sound deadening bumper d6 and the ilush tank lid, not shown.

ln the uppermost extent of travel, the ball valve 5 is maintained in vertical alignment with and directly above the open valve seat 4 due to the guidance of the stem in the guide sleeve 8 and also due to the laterally restraining action of the lower ball valve guide apparatus comprising the lower extremity of the valve stern 6 and slideable ball 7 being retained wvithin the interior of the discharge pipe 2.

Upon release of the flush handle 17, the tlush lever 14 drops to its lowermost position because the lifting eye 12 is freely slideable upon the upper extremity of the valve stem 6. As the water recedes in the flush tank 1 Aand as the water level reaches the buoyant ball valve 5, the ball valve 5 will recede with the water level until it comes sufficiently close to valve seat 4 whereupon the ball guide 7 is caught in the whirlpool action of the discharging water and serves to jiggle the hollow ball valve 5 into a properly axially aligned seating relationship within the valve seat 4.

:In the present invention, the ball valve lifting 'apparatus, comprising the lifting eye 12 `formed by the pliable cord loop cooperating with the elastic adjustable collar 15, provides a particularly happy valve lifting combination in that installation of new ball valves and valve stems is readily facilitated even in flush tanks of greatly differing heights. The replacement and adiustment is easily accomplished by merely inserting the pliable cord loop 12 through the flush lever opening 13 most nearly in vertical alignment with the valve stem 6 and passing the valve stem through the lifting eye. Then by merely pushing the elastic collar 1S down over the valve stem 6 to the proper position above the lifting eye 12 rather large misalignment between an available opening 13 in the liush lever 14 and the vertical axis of the valve stem 4 is readily accommodated by the pliable lifting eye 12 since it merely laterally shifts over to the proper vertical position. The lateral shifting being easily accommodated by the pliable nature of the cord loop.

Heretofore relatively long `shanked lifting eyes have been utilized but after some use, these lifting eyes can serve to mechanically locl: the ball valve 5 in the raised position by being frictionally captured between the slideable valve stem 6 and the guide sleeve 8 th reby necessitating jigg-ling of the flush handle to dislodge the ball valve I5 so it can fall through to a seated relationship.

Since many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above construction or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A ball valve lifting apparatus adapted for use in flush tanks employing a vertically translated iiush lever and a buoyant ball valve including, a valve stern axially mounted on the ball valve and adapted to extend upwardly from the ball valve, a pliable cord loop attached to :said flush lever for approximate vertical translation in concert with said flush lever, said pliable cord loop forming a lifting eye adapted to receive said valve stem freely slideable therethrough whereby relatively wide tolerances in vertical alignment between said valve stem and the point of attachment of said cor-d to said flush lever are facilitated, and a member having a collar portion aixed to said valve stem upwardly of said pliable cord for catching said pliable cord yloop upon upward translation of said loop with said flush lever for lifting said valve stem and said ball valve.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pliable cord loop includes a strand of cord tied together at its ends to form a knot, the tied cord forming the loop, and said cord loop being attached to said llush lever by the loop being threaded through a hole in the flush lever the knot portion of the lloop being larger than the diameter of the hole such that the loop will not pull through the hole in the flush lever.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said collar portion of said member includes an elastic ring portion dimensioned to be `aflixed to said valve stem by constrictively gripping said valve stem passable therethrough.

i4. The apparatus according to claim 1 fwherein said member is a relatively thick walled elastic ring axially slideably adjustable of said valve stem.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,067,759 Gavin Ian. l2, 1937 2,482,970 Garratt Sept. 27, 1949' 2,534,705 Gertz Dec. 19, 1950 2,625,692 Hochberger Ian. 20, 1953 2,627,608 Edwarde Feb. 10, 1953 2,843,854 McKinnon July 22, 1958 2,856,610 Kinkle Oct. 21, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,112 Great Britain May 13, 1907 

1. A BALL VALVE LIFTING APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR USE IN FLUSH TANKS EMPLOYING A VERTICALLY TRANSLATED FLUSH LEVER AND A BUOYANT BALL VALVE INCLUDING, A VALVE STEM AXIALLY MOUNTED ON THE BALL VALVE AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND UPWARDLY FROM THE BALL VALVE, A PLIABLE CORD LOOP ATTACHED TO SAID FLUSH LEVER FOR APPROXIMATE VERTICAL TRANDLATION IN CONCERT WITH SAID FLUSH LEVER, SAID PLIABLE CORD LOOP FORMING A LIFTING EYE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID VALVE STEM FREELY SLIDEABLE THERETHROUGH WHEREBY RELATIVELY WIDE TOLERANCES IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT BETWEEN SAID VALVE STEM AND THE POINT OF ATTACHMENT OF SAID CORD TO SAID FLUSH LEVER ARE FACILITATED, AND A MEMBER HAVING A COLLAR PORTION AFFIXED TO SAID VALVE STEM UPWARDLY OF SAID PLIABLE CORD FOR CATCHING SAID PLIABLE CORD LOOP UPON UPWARD TRANSLATION OF SAID LOOP WITH SAID FLUSH LEVER FOR LIFTING SAID VALVE STEM AND SAID BALL VALVE. 